Police said Monday they believe that the body found under the ice on Wonder Lake on Saturday was the same man who was reported missing from his home in Wonder Lake.
The Wonder Lake Police Department was requested around 2:55 p.m. Saturday by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to assist in the search for a missing person from the 5200 block of West Lake Shore Drive in Wonder Lake.
The person who went missing was an adult male and had not been seen for several days after leaving his home. He was first reported missing to the sheriff’s office on Saturday, according to police radio traffic.
Wonder Lake Police Chief Kyle Mandernack said search efforts began, including a neighborhood canvass and a water search.
A drone operator with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office spotted what appeared to be a person in the water on Wonder Lake around 3:45 p.m., Mandernack said.
The Wonder Lake Fire Protection District was called after law enforcement observed the human body approximately 100 feet from shore, Wonder Lake Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Chris Kozel said.
Crews deployed a specialized ice rescue craft to investigate and confirmed the body was in the water under the ice.
Kozel said firefighters in ice rescue suits entered the water and recovered the victim.
No firefighters were injured during the recovery and the incident remains under investigation by law enforcement, Kozel said.
The McHenry County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and took possession of the body for an autopsy.
Mandernack said the victim was an adult male and based on preliminary information, it is believed to be the same person who was reported missing.
He did not have any obvious injuries but the coroner’s office is in the process of scheduling an autopsy, Mandernack said. His identity has not been released.
The police chief said the death investigation is being handled by the Wonder Lake Police Department and McHenry County Coroner’s Office, while the missing person investigation is being handled by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office has not released any information on the case as of Monday.